Chicago Criminal Defense & Expungement Blog

Driving a truck or other commercial motor vehicle is a noble profession and is an honest way to put food on the table and help support a family. When a CDL holder receives a ticket for a simple offense such as Improper Lane Usage the consequences are often nothing short of draconian. In Illinois a non-CDL holder may request supervision and avoid a conviction on his record. However, CDL drivers are not eligible for supervision, and therefore, are subject to a mandatory conviction. This is true even if the CDL driver has not had a ticket in 20 years. If a CDL driver receives two moving violation convictions within a 3 year period of time his CDL is subject to a 60 day disqualification. Imagine how scary it must be to be told that for a 60 day period of time you cannot do what you have been relying on for the last 20 years to earn a living. It gets worse when you consider the fact that even one conviction may raise a CDL holder's insurance to the point that he becomes less attractive to his current and future prospective employers.

Since supervision is not a viable option a traffic attorney must be creative in finding ways to protect the careers of his or her CDL clients. If a CDL holder receives a ticket for a moving violation I will request that the charge be amended to a non-moving violation. The following charges have not detrimentally impacted the careers of my CDL clients: